Your personal brand isn’t a project, it’s a lifestyle

Too short for a blog post, too important to ignore, here are some short observations from the world of marketing and beyond.

The personal brand journey

It had a busy year, and it was nice having some downtime. What did I do with it? I was WRITING!

I have a long trip to Asia coming up. I won’t have time to blog. That means I need at least four great posts teed up and ready to go ahead of time.

Building your personal brand isn’t a project; it’s a lifestyle. No excuses. Keep going. Get it done. Show up for your fans.

If your personal brand is a priority it has to be part of your lifestyle like working out, going on a date, or going to church on Sunday.

The two personal brand failure modes are 1) the person never started 2) the person quit too soon.

Out to sea

Had a friend on LinkedIn comment: “You can be noise in a sea of calm or calm in a sea of noise” — either way you have a choice. You alone can decide what you want to be to stand out.

I don’t think it’s that easy. In reality, you will be calm in a sea of calm or noise in a sea of noise. There is a third choice. Do something completely different! Be audacious in a sea of boring.

So true.

My friend Billy Dexter says, “We don’t look like our stories.”

Six words. So powerful.

His point: Ask questions before you judge. Lots of questions.

The real AI advantage

I’m astounded by the number of professional people I encounter who are not even dabbling in AI.

AI isn’t democratizing marketing; it’s creating a new aristocracy. The “AI-haves” will run circles around the “AI-have-nots.”

But here’s the twist: the real power won’t lie with those who own the AI, but with those who own the questions. In a world where AI becomes a commodity (everyone can have the latest and greatest for $20!), the competitive edge goes to those who know which problems are worth solving.

Bacon diplomacy

Just got back from a vacation in Europe. While Europe has so much wonderful food, I don’t understand why it has not picked up on American bacon. So crispy. So delicious. So much better than the limp, greasy fare across the pond.

Free business idea: Start a cafe in European capitals called “American Bacon” and watch the lines form. No need to thank me.

The wrong question

Maybe we’re asking the wrong question about AI in marketing. It’s not “How can AI make us more efficient?” It’s “What if efficiency is the enemy?”

In our rush to optimize, we’re creating a world of frictionless, forgettable experiences. AI won’t drive the next marketing revolution — It’ll be a rebellion against it, championing the beautifully inefficient. Leave a little dust on the lens. Be the glitch in the story.

Being real is becoming a luxury.

Word to the words

I really love Grammarly. It might not be considered a leading AI app … but it is the AI app I use the most! It’s also cool to see my monthly stats. Here is one that has me flummoxed.

This is cool in one respect. I’ve used more unique words than just about everybody. But I’m not sure if this is a badge of courage or shame. I’m using that many unique words, it probably means some people don’t understand what I write, especially if English is not their first language. Not sure what to make of it.

And I’m guessing “flummoxed” might be word number 12,859!

Marketing speed

One of the least-discussed challenges in marketing today is speed. It’s not just reaction time. It’s also impacting time to market.

The line between marketing and product development is blurring. When AI can predict what customers want before they know it, marketing becomes less about promoting what exists and more about shaping what could be. The future of marketing isn’t just about selling products; it’s about co-creating experiences with our customers in real-time.

I’m eager to see how this rolls out!

Need an inspiring keynote speaker? Mark Schaefer is the most trusted voice in marketing. Your conference guests will buzz about his insights long after your event! Mark is the author of some of the world’s bestselling marketing books, a college educator, and an advisor to many of the world’s largest brands. Contact Mark to have him bring a fun, meaningful, and memorable presentation to your company event or conference.

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Illustration courtesy MidJourney

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